Monday, 30 May 2011

I've never done a battle report on this blog before, but decided to give it a go and document the battle that was fought yesterday with some buddies from my gaming club. It'll be long, and it'll probably be a bit ropey - you have been warned!

My Elysians and Death Korps of Krieg Armoured Regiment and Legio Titanicus forces were teamed with Lewys and his Crimson Fist Space Marines and a small force of mysterious Eldar! We faced Dai and his innumerable Orks hordes and a small force of Night Lords Traitor Marines, commanded by Patrick. Both sides totalled about 8000pts each. We had a time limit of about 6 hours, so we'd have to be snappy to get a few turns in.

Deployment

We forwent the usual bidding process to save time, and instead split the table diagonally and got both sides deployed simultaneously. We then chose our Strategic Assets. I chose the Minefield Asset in an effort to protect the Reaver Titan. Lewys took the Vortex Grenade (never leave home without one!) Dai took Flank March as well as the Rocks that are granted to him by the presence of Ghazghkull on the field. Patrick went with the Vortex Grenade as well. We then rolled off to see who would go first - the forces of Evil won the roll, and chose to go first.

Imperial Guard forces

Right flank

Imperial Forces in the city ruins

Ork and Chaos lines

Left flank

Space Marine forces

Evil Turn 1

The Orks and Night Lords Surged forward across no-mans-land, eating up the inches in order to close with the enemy. A small squad of infiltrators, Snikrot and a squad of Komandos no less, moved closer to the Imperial gun line on the right flank, threatening a squadron of Leman Russ Battle Tanks. In the centre, Wazdakka and his war bikers turbo boosted towards the Bastion and its gallant defenders, while the Stompas lingered in the rear of the field.

Evil forces advance

Snikrot and Komandos assault the Leman Russ

The Shooting Phase saw Dai's Wierdboy cast a psychic power that gave the entire army a 6in WAAAGH! enabling the Orks to close yet further with the Imperial defenders. The forces of Evil also took this opportunity to use their Rocks Strategic Asset, to little effect. The 3 rocks scattered so wildly that they either missed the board or hit nothing (much to the relief of Lewys and myself!) The Stompas targeted the Reaver with Rockets, but failed to penetrate the Void Shields. The remainder of the Ork and Night Lords forces opted to Run and try and engage the Imperials next turn.

The Assault Phase saw only one assault, when the Komandos engaged the Leman Russ Squadron on the right flank. They shockingly caused only one Crew Shaken result which was ignored due to the Squadron rules. Now it was the Imperials turn!

Good Turn 1

I decided to keep the whole of the Elysian force in reserve, half of which came on this turn. A Vulture Gunship and Valkyrie entered behind the Ork lines on the left flank, while the second Vulture entered on the right flank. Captain Gerek and his ground scanner entered rather un-heroically, under the feet of the Reaver! The mysterious Eldar decided to move on the Lootas occupying the Skyshield Landing pad on the left flank, deep striking a squad of Warp Spiders directly in front of them (and unfortunately loosing the Exarch!)

Elysians enter on the left flank

The Vulture Gunship enters on the right flank

The Warp Spiders Deep Strike

The rest of the Imperial force was largely static, myself and Lewys quite content to let the enemy taste our firepower at maximum range! In the ruins of the city, the two Vultures of the Krieg Armoured Regiment moved to engage the Komandos, while two Leman Russ Squadrons moved to better firing positions to take on Ghazkull and his Mega Nobz advancing around the minefield.

The Vultures move into possition

The shooting phase began with the outflanking Elysians on the left targeting a large Boyz squad led by the Wierdboy. Only 9 Boyz fell to the massed firepower of the Punishers and Rocket Pods! The Warp Spiders fared no better, only managing to kill 4 Lootas. The situation in the centre looked bleak for the Space Marine defenders, as the two squads occupying the Bastion only managed to fell 2 War bikers. Terminators and Dreadnoughts in the ruins lent their firepower to the efforts in the centre of the field, killing 7 Stormboyz.

Space Marines target the War Bikkers

Space Marine forces target the Stormboyz

On the right flank, the Imperial Tank Commanders took a fearsome toll on Ghazghkull's retinue, with two Leman Russ squadrons killing 7 Mega Nobz with their massed firepower. The Elysian Vulture Gunship spooled up its Punisher Cannons and deprived Ghazkull of a further 10 Nobz. The Krieg Baneblade taking cover in the ruins targeted a large squadron of Deffkoptas racing towards the Imperial tanks and unleashed its full fury into their ranks, but only killing 7. The two Vultures of the Krieg Armoured targeted Snikrot and his Kommandos, reducing the entire squad to paste with their twin linked Punisher Cannons!

The Baneblade decimates the Deffkoptas

Leman Russ Squadrons firing on Ghazghkull while he skirts the edge of the minefield

Finally Praetorian the God-Machine unleashed its deadly arsenal! The Apocalypse Missile Launcher targeted a large unit of Ork Boyz in the centre, killing all 30 of them! The Gatling Blaster fared equally well, killing 7 Ork Bikers in the centre. Finally the Laser Blaster targeted the Stompa supporting the Ork push in the centre, scoring direct hits with all 3 of its 'Streangth D' shots! The blasts Stunned the Crew, destroyed the dreaded Supa-Gattla, and inflicted a Drive Damaged result.

Only one assault played out this phase, as an Eldar Avatar broke cover from behind a Bastion and charged Wazdakka! The warlords wounded each other once, drawing the combat.

Evil Turn 2

The Orks and Night Lords continued to advance across the field, despite their horrendous losses! The Stompa on the left flank turned its attention to the Elysians that had outflanked them, while the other continued to limp forwards. The remains of the right flank continued to advance around the minefield in an effort to engage the tanks.

In a moment of sheer horror, Dai used Flank March to deploy 120 Ork Boyz with a Pain Boy in front of the shocked Space Marines! Dai rubbed his hands with barley contained anticipation for the coming assault phase!

BOO!

The remaining Stormboyz in the centre advance towards the Avatar, while Zagstruk splits from the squad to try and engage the Space Marines. A squad of Night Lords bikes also moves closer to the Avatar to lend their talent to the coming assault.

The Traitor Marines decided to show their hand, Deep Striking 2 large squads of Terminators amongst the Imperial defenders. Their evil pacts with the Ruinous Powers no doubt enabling Patrick to roll two 'Hits' on the scatter dice! One squad materialised behind the Space Marine lines, while the other appeared directly in front of the Baneblade.

Chaos Terminators Deep Strike in front of the Armoured Regiment

Chaos Terminators Deep Strike behind the Space Marines

The Evil shooting turn was more productive this round. The Stompa on the left flank targeted the newly arrived Elysians, destroying the Vulture and the Valkyrie with its Supa-Gattla before its ammo feed ran dry. 3 Veterans die as the ruined Valkyrie crashes to the deck, but they pass their pinning check.

Stompa following the destruction of the Vulture and Valkyrie

In the centre, the Orks continue to advance, opting to run for the most part. On the right, the Deffkoptas fire a huge amount of Rokkits at a Vulture Gunship, Stunning it. The Traitor Terminators in front of the Baneblade unleashed their Vortex Grenade, scoring a direct hit on the front of the Baneblade! The Emperor must have been watching over the crew, as it only lost 1 of its 3 Structure points to the doomsday weapon. The other Traitor Terminator squad mowed down many Space marines before the Chaos Gods started granting their dice 1's!

The Vortex Grenade sucks up a Structure Point!

The assault phase saw Zagrot take on a squad of Sternguard in the ruins, killing 4 of them. Zagrot took numerous wounds in reply, but managed to keep one wound and prolong the combat. The Stormboyz and the Night Lords bikers charged the Avatar. The ensuing combat saw Wazdakka slain, but the Avatar was in turn killed by a Daemon blade. Another squad of War Bikkers charged the Bastion, inflicting no damage.

Then it was the turn of the Green tide, who crashed into the Space Marines! A charge of this size saw a Scout Squad, a Tactical Squad, a Dreadnought, a Terminator Squad and Petro Kantor himself sucked into the melee! The unfortunate Scouts were wiped out, falling under the 84 attacks directed at them! The Tactical Squad loose 6 of their number, and kill 5 in reply. The Terminators fared better, only loosing one or two battle brothers. Patro Kantor takes on the Warboss leading the Tide, wounding him twice and emerging unscathed! The Dreadnought is brought down by massed Power Klaws, but kills 6 in the resulting explosion. The loss of so many Orks barely put a dent in their numbers, and the combat was to continue for another round.

The Green Tide smashes into the Space Marine lines

Good Turn 2

The remaining Elysian Forces outflank and emerge on the left, reinforcing their comrades earlier attack. Another Valkyrie, 2 Vendettas and 2 Sentinel Squadrons emerge to lend their firepower to the cause. The remnants of the Veteran squad advance on the Orks. Things remained static in the centre of the field, the Space Marines in the Bastion wisely opting to take shelter behind the reinforced adamantium walls. A squad of Vanguard Veterans moved to engage the Chaos Terminators in their midst, while the tanks on the right flank moved to engage Ghazkull and his remaining 4 man retinue. The Vortex Grenade scattered onto a Vulture Gunship, Immobilising it. Imperial mechanised elements move to address the Chaos Terminators while the Baneblade retreats to get a clear shot at the second Terminator squad.

Outflanking Elysians

Vulture Gunships put Ghazghkull in their sights

Mechanised eliments target the Chaos Terminators

The shooting phase saw the Elysians on the left flank wipe out another 30 Boyz, leaving the Wierdboy to fail his morale check and flee into the knives of the waiting Elysian Squad, who promptly dispatched him. The Vendettas put the Stompa in their sights, and fired all their Lascannons into the monstrosity. They managed to claim a Structure Point and Stun the crew. The Space Marines in the Bastion continue to pour fire down upon their Warbikker assailants, killing a handful of them.

The Elysians pour their fire into the Ork Boyz

The Vendettas target the Stompa

In the ruins of the city, the Chimeras of the Armoured Regiment target the Terminator squad and open up with their Multi-Lasers and Autocannons, thinning their numbers. The Vanguard Veterans do the same, killing 2 more. The Leman Russ squadrons target Ghazkull but failed to kill either him or his retinue. The Vultures fare batter taking another 2 Nobz down.

The Space Marine Tactical squads sheltering in the ruins pour fire down onto the Terminators in front of the Baneblade, but failed to kill any. The Banblade then shows them how its done, and fires its Heavy Bolters, Lascannons and Demolisher Cannon, killing 4 and causing the survivor to flee! The Banblade Cannon targets the remaining Deffkopptas, killing 2 and forcing the sole survivor to flee. The right flank is secure, apart from the obvious problem of Ghazkull!!

Then the guns of Praetorian spoke! The Apocalypse Missile Launcher decimates another 30 strong squad of Ork Boyz, while the Laser Destructor only manages to Stun the second Stompa. The Gatling-Blaster addresses a 10 man squad of Chaos Raptors, banishing the whole squad back to the Warp!

The Assault Phase saw the Vanguard charge the Chaos Terminators, killing 5 but loosing 3. The Green Tide continued its assault as the Space Marines put more of their brothers into the fray. The Tactical Squad was wiped out, as was the remnants of Petro Kantors squad. Petro himself slew the Ork Warboss in heroic fashion, but is in turn killed by massed Power Klaws. The Terminators take minimal casualties, and fight on once the combat was resolved.

Vanguard Veterans take on the Chaos Terminators

Space Marines tackle the Green Tide

Petro Kantors last stand

Aftermath

So we decided to call it a day after 2 full turns, but had a great game none-the-less! We called it a draw as both sides inflicted a fearsome amount of death on each other!

So i hope you like this report. I'm sure that their were numerous other actions that have been omitted/forgotten, but you've seen the most important bits of the game! I've enjoyed writing this report, and think I'll try a battle report on a regular 40K game next time. Now the fun's all over its back to painting. With Blog Wars next week, i need to tidy up the Elysians before they make their tournament debut!

Friday, 27 May 2011

I've got a long awaited Apocalypse game tomorrow, and to mark the occasion (and take a break from my Vostroyans) i decided to repaint one of the Krieg Baneblades. It now matches the rest of the Krieg armour!

Vehicle designation. Twenty-Third Company, First Vehicle.

Krieg Tank Commander:

I'll eventually get around to putting the Super Heavy Engine Filter Set from Forgeworld on this beast, as well as on the other vehicles of this company. With the price rises around the corner, I'm looking more at improving the existing forces that i have, and getting all those things that i always meant to do, done!

I'll be taking my camera to the Apocalypse game tomorrow, so I'll get some action shots up on here! Its been AGES since Praetorian walked, so I'm really looking forward to it! Along with the Reaver I'll also be fielding the Elysians and the Death Korps Armoured Regiment (making a modest 5,700pts!) With the Vostroyans and the Krieg Siege Regiment still undergoing repaint, i thought it best to leave them out of this one.

Friday, 20 May 2011

In order to break up the monotony of painting infantry squads, i decided to repaint my beloved Snipers! These were among the first models that i ever bought for the Vostroyan army, way back when they were first released, and are probably my favorite!

These guys will be included in my Command Squad for the Exeter Inquisition tournament. Not because I'm hinging my whole strategy on them, but rather so i could include these cool minis in the army somewhere!!

I kept the bases quite dark for two reasons: firstly its moody! Very indicative of a dark, ruined, futuristic, Gothic city! Secondly, i didn't want to distract the viewers attention away from the minis themselves. As flashy as the Vostroyans are, i didn't want the scene to have so many colours that it looked like something out of a Slaaneshi house party!!

Now, less talk, more pictures!

Sniper 1:

Sniper 2:

Sniper 3:

Sniper 4:

There we have it, another squad of minis done! well, almost. I still need to touch up the Company Commander, but he needs very little work. Two more squads after that, and I'm ready for the tournament! When they're all done, I'll be revisiting the Elysians for some last minute touch-ups and transfers to get ready for Blog Wars in two weeks! Phew!

Tuesday, 17 May 2011

Firstly, i just want to jump on the 'outraged' band waggon and declare my anger at ANOTHER price rise from GW. Seriously, i think they're taking the piss a bit now. I know their a business, but theres still a lot of problems following the Banking Crisis, so it just makes no sense to me. I guess the rich get richer and the poor get poorer (well, we will do if we keep on buying up GW models!)

So i got off pretty lightly after Blogger crashed and caused mayhem the other day! I only lost a few comments, but i hear that others lost much more!

On the subject of lost, i nearly lost this laptop to a mug off coffee this morning, when the handle of the mug decided that it wanted a change of scenery and departed from the afore mentioned mug! Not the sort of thing you want at 0530 before work, take my word for it! Fortunately after a day of drying in the airing cupboard, its up and running again, for the time being at least! Which means that i can stop waffling on and bring you the latest installment of the Vostroyan Repaint; Veteran Squad 2:

In terms of photography, this squad doesn't look as good as the other one, but in the flesh they look identical. Think I'm gonna have to sharpen up my photo skills!

In terms of painting im happy with the way this repaint is going. I've muted the colours down a bit compared to the first paint job, giving them a bit more of a gritty look. They were prahaps a bit to flash and bright before! I'll certainly be painting over the paintjob's in the future rather than stripping the paint off - its much quicker!!

So I'm nearly 50% there with the repaint, and to break up the monotony a bit, I'm going to paint the command squad next. The command squad contains my 4 favorite models in the army: The Vostroyan Snipers! I went to town on the bases for these guys, and I'm really looking forward to painting them! More on that next post!

Wednesday, 11 May 2011

"Vostroya. Smoking chimneys belch toxic clouds of pollutants into the sky and blast furnaces fend off the bitter chill as vast workforces toil unceasingly for their Imperial masters. These smoke clogged edifices are the only places where heat can be found, choking oases of light and warmth amidst the perpetual icey gloom. Few folk stray from the Manufactoria without good reason.

Vostroya was colonised long ago, when mankind ruled the stars. During the Age of Strife and the breakdown of the galactic empire, Vostroya swore their loyalty to the worshipers of the Machine God who ruled over Mars.

Vostroya is governed by the Techtriarchs, a curious committee of Adeptus Mechanicus administrators and traditional Imperial planetary government, who's primary duty is to ensure that the tithes and production quotas placed upon the Vostroyans are always met.

Vostroyas great shame has its roots in an age long past, when the Master of Humanity strode amoung the stars and when His empire was sundered by the Horus Heresy. As the legions of the traitor Warmaster carved a bloody trail to Terra, a pertition from the Emporer requested that Vostroya raise regiments of soldiers to stand in Horus' path. Every worker that toiled in the great smelteries of Vostroya was already engaged in the imense war effort and the Techtriarchs determined that such a sacrifice in manpower would render the production quotas unattainable. They reasoned that the people of Vostroya were better expended making guns than firing them. Reluctantly, the Techtriarchs refused the request.

It is probable that their actions may have gone unremarked, for in the violence of war many records were destroyed. Unfortunately for the people of Vostroya such anonymity would be denied to them. When the Heresy ended and Exactor Tributii Advocates began to count the cost, Vostroyas refusal to raise arms came to light. The Techtriarchs were called to account - a task that the Primarch of the Ultramarines, Roboute Guilliman, oversaw personally. Faced with the ire of the Ultramarines Primarch, the people of Vostroya entreated the Techtriarchs to negotiate a settlement that would allow them to make amends for their percieved disloyalty. Robuote warned that their pennance might never end but even when he stated the grievous terms of Vostroyas reprieve the Techtriarchs willingly accepted.

The proposal that Guilliman and the Techtriarchs agreed was simple, but has shaped Vostroyan society ever since. To repay their dept to the Emporer, the Vostroyans have, for the last ten thousand years, have given up the firstborn son of every family for service into the Imperial Guard. Thus the Firstborn were raised.

Unlike other Imperial Guard regiments that are raised en-masse, the Firstborn are regularly furnished with a steady influx of new recruits from their homeworld. To the Vostroyans it is a matter of pride that the Firstborn have exsisted unbroken since their first creation.

Vostroya continues to labour unceacingly to meet the production quottas of their Mechanicus masters, but their repaiment of their dept to the Emporer comes first. Attached to each of the thousands of manufactoria that blot the planets surface is a sacred workshop, where the weapons and wargear of the Firstborn are produced. Every labourer on Vostroya is expected to give one hour in every ten to the upkeep of the Firstborn. With stoic resolve, the Vostroyans steadfastly sacrifice their time, and the weaponry they produce is of the finest quiality, for the Firstborn are their sons and brothers and their only hope of redemption."

(taken from White Dwarf 317)

With such a rich and interesting background, how can any Guard player not have a Vostroyan army in their collection! A background like this perfectly compliments the great models that GW have produced for these guys: beautifully detailed and extravigant Guardsmen. The only problem is painting them.....

Well, i say 'problem' but its not really, it just takes FOREVER! I spent nearly twelve hours on these guys yesterday, which did finally see this squad completed. The problem is that im not gonna get many days like that in before the tournament in Exeter at the end of June. So for future sqauds i'll just address the problem areas on the old paintjob, rather than strip the models completely. Hopefully this will save me a bit of time in the future.

A few points that you've probably noticed. I haven't painted the eyes, This is because I really can't do it properly! I coped-out and just relied on the wash to do the work for me!! The stocks of the lasguns and special weapons are also missing the 'wood grain' effect that can be seen on the GW paintjobs. I did give it a try, but figured that less-is-more here. As the models are so busy with other colours, having another set of details ruined it a bit for me. As for the bases, well i purposely left the bare for the moment. When all the models are done, i'll embellish the bases a bit. This is mainly to preserve my sanity during this project!

Thursday, 5 May 2011

I decided to take a week off painting, mainly because i got so frustrated with my Dark Eldar. So much so that i''ve decided to quit the army. I just can''t get into them for some reason, and i don't know why. Rather than try to force the issue, I've redirected my energies.

I'm attending Exeter Inquisition's Nut Up or Shut Up 1500pt 40K tournament at the end of June. This is the second incarnation of the tournament, and (despite the silly name!) I'm quite looking forward to it. I'll be taking the Vostroyan Firstborn to this one, as they haven't attended a tournament in a year now! That being said, they're looking a little worse for wear, so a repaint is in order before the tournament.

As they're metal, i left a squad in some Paint Brush Restorer overnight before scrubbing away the old paint. Apart from a few hard to reach spots, the old coat came away quite easily. They're now based and ready to go. My painting has come a long way since these guys were first done, so I'm looking forward to updating them with the skills that I've learnt over the last 2 years. And they're cracking models as well!

There's 4 squads and a command squad to do in 2 months, so it shouldn't be difficult (especially as the rains returned to Wales!) The vehicles are OK so they''ll be left. Some WIP shots for you tomorrow with any luck!